Darkness
by InfinityLuna
Summary: Lucy was ripped from her parents, literally and was forced to suffer in silence and alone until he found her.. Her only rest was in the darkness, a place she craved during the light and a place he hoped she would never have to go again. After all, he would catch her if she falls. (Rated M for possible lemons in the future and possible triggers due to her state of mind) ENJOY
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN FAIRY TAIL**

 **A/N:** Hallo you twisted minds! This story just came to me as I was in the middle of writing a new chapter for my other story. I hope you like it!

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"MOMMY!" A young girl screamed as she backed into a corner, attempting to make herself as small as possible from the brooding men who advanced on her small form. This was how it was always like, but this time her mother was here and she could stop it! Probably. The girl had faith in her mother, proved by how she continued to scream for her mother as the men got closer, their cloaks sliding on the floor behind them. They were just playing with her now, shown by how slowly they were walking as they closed in on her and the girl completely curled up in a ball, whimpering, no longer having any strength to call for her mother as fear radiated off her.

"LUCY!" Shouted a furious woman as she opened the door to her daughter's room, responding to her daughter's plea for help. She took one look at the scene in front of her and her eyes widened a fraction before narrowing dangerously at the men closing in on her helpless daughter. Indescribable rage took over her features as she ripped her dagger from the sheath around the waist of her dress and sprinted forward wildly. Lucy whimpered and shook as two men held back Layla while the other continued to advance on her, so close she could smell his disgusting breath.

Another whimper escaped Lucy's lips as the man grasped her wrist and roughly dragged her to her feet, throwing a glance to Layla's unpractised moves and attempt to save her daughter from the men. The man grinned as she was thrown to the floor and knife was held to her neck, her blonde locks in the grasp of the second man, using it as leverage. Then, with a slight nod of his head, and a swift movement of the man's wrist, Layla's blood was spilled to the ground around her, making Lucy give out a strangled cry as her knees gave out. With a growl, the men grabbed Lucy as she stared down at her mother's corpse, heart-breaking sobs escaping her mouth, and dragged her out of her window before her father came to investigate the sounds that had come from his wife and daughter. As expected, once they left, a shout and a cry was heard from a distinctly male voice as he dropped to his death wife's side, resting his knees in the pool of crimson blood that surrounded her. Lucy's wide eyes looked to the men dragging her by her wrists into the dark streets, moonlight shining down upon them.

She tried falling to her knees in an attempt to slow them down so someone could hear her cries, but apparently that didn't work and all it granted her was a rough kick to her abdomen by the irritated men before she blacked out and the darkness consumed her, welcoming her.

* * *

"Laxus! Get your ass over here!" Demanded a powerful red-headed mage as she glared over to the corner where he sat, sending a vicious shiver down his spine as her stare seemed to burn a hole through him.

"What do you want demon?" He shouted from the other side of the guild hall, still not wanting to move from his place where he comfortably sat drinking his beer. Said 'demon' growled at his disobedience and equipped a sword from her vast inventory, already thinking of all the different torture methods she could use once she subdued him. Sensing the growing danger emanating from Erza, Laxus shivered again, move violently than the last and got up, abandoning his pride with the stomach he left at his table with his team.

"What the hell do you think you're doing Laxus?! Driving out members just because they're weak! I thought you knew better! Much better than to get rid of people with so much potential!" Erza screamed at him, brandishing her sword dangerously close to Laxus' face as she ranted making Laxus flinch back so as not to wound his face.

"This guild doesn't need weak to bring it down." He stated simply, turning and walking out of the guild hall, leaving Erza, stewing in her own rage to take out her anger on Natsu and Gray as they brawled and knocked into her. In an instant his team was by his side, walking alongside him with frowns on their faces at the outburst Erza had had against their leader. Bickslow and his 'babies' started cackling once they reached the edge of town, the serious look on his face forgotten as soon as they left Magnolia and no longer were the townspeople staring at Fairy Tail's 'S' Class mages. Evergreen reprimanded him as she saw the irritated look on her beloved leader's face and Freed shook his head disappointedly at the duo as Evergreen beat Bickslow with a fan.

"I have a job for us to do, Laxus-sama," stated Freed as Evergreen and Bickslow continued to bicker childishly, "It's to capture a rising dark guild on the outskirts of Shirotsume Town. Apparently all the mages are at least our level so it should be a good fight for you to handle Laxus, considering your strength and power. At this point, both Evergreen and Bickslow were snorting with laughter over Freed's choice of words.

"Nice Freed. Kissing his ass again." Bickslow chortled while Freed's expression turned indignant and a pink blush spread across his face.

"I-I was not! I was complementing him! You should do it too! He's our leader!" Freed retorted with a burning face as Evergreen continued to laugh, whereas Laxus looked disinterested. As they continued to bicker, Freed now joining the fray, Laxus grabbed the discarded job request on the floor. Quickly scanning it before seeing the reward of $6000000, Laxus zapped the trio with his lightning making them stop their bickering and nod to Laxus before he teleported them to the border of Shirotsume.

* * *

Lucy cried silently as she sat in the dark... She has no idea how long she's been here, only that as soon as her magic replenishes, its stolen from her yet again. It was agonizing, she has no idea how long she's been there, only able to guess from the changes in her body and when she is given food. But this time, it felt like forever since they last fed her, and it's killing her, literally.

She felt like her stomach was eating herself and she could guess she had gone about a week without food, or water. So now her tongue was numb and dry, her throat scratchy and painful and overall she felt terrible. Lucy had already guess she'd been there for a few years, after watching the guards carefully and seeing how often they brought her food and water.. But she wondered why they decided to neglect to bring her food and water, considering they seemed to think she was special in some way. However, the fact that she was precious didn't do anything to stop them from abusing her the moment they got to... wherever they were.

Then Lucy began to hear sounds coming from above her, that means she was underground after all? Then curiously began to stare at the ceiling, but its not like the noises would just get louder so she could hear. Having thought this, Lucy lay back down on the little hay bed in the corner and fell back asleep, falling into the peaceful darkness once more.

* * *

"Lightning Dragon's roar!" Bellowed Laxus as a pillar of light shot from his mouth and bombarded into the dark mages who stood before him, effectively knocking them all to the ground and subduing them to a twitching, steaming mess.

"Dark Ecriture! Pain!" Freed shouted as he cast his runes on the people surrounding them, also knocking them to the ground into a screaming, quivering mess. He looked over to Laxus and grinned in triumph and Laxus nodded his head in acknowledgement, making Freed blush slightly as the pink hue took over his cheeks.

"Fairy machine gun! Leprechaun!" Shouted Evergreen with a fierce look in her eyes as hundreds of small light bullets shot from her palm and subdued the leering men who stood before her, forcing them all to dive to the floor and get hit by the impact of the attack.

"Babies! V Formation!" Bickslow cackled with his babies as a light shot from each of the totems' mouths and combined to leave his opponents to a burnt and shivering mess, much like Laxus'.

"Lightning Dragon's Sparking Fist!" Shouted Laxus as he encased his hand in lightning and attacked the last opponent of the night, the master. The fist connected and the man flew across the room and buried himself into the wall, knocked out.

"Dang. He's gonna feel that in the morning." Bickslow said with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, in the middle of tying up his half of the enemies, ready for the magic council to come collect.

"Shut up Bickslow." Laxus grunted as he sniffed the air, searching for another potential fight. The sweet scent of strawberries and vanilla invaded his nose making his eyes widen and sniff the air desperately again to catch the scent again, having found it again, he followed the trail to where it got stronger and then the scent of blood burned his nose slightly, making him scrunch up his face and shake his head.

"Laxus-sama?" Freed called as he watched his leader go down the stairs into what seemed like the basement of the guild hall and made to follow him, Evergreen and Bickslow not far behind as they descended the steps into what seemed like a dungeon-like place.

* * *

Lucy, now hanging from the wall as someone had come into her cell to chain her to the wall again, shivered as cold bit her naked body, whimpering slightly as it seemed no one was coming to get her down again. This was what they did to her, they sometimes came into the cell to chain her to the wall just to sit and watch her squirm under their gazes, it felt like a form of torture to Lucy. But it was nothing like when she actually did something wrong, the gashes along her back and front proof of this.

Then, as if someone had pressed a button, pain lanced through her body, being electrocuted by her chains. Magic had made it so every once in a while, the chains that held her to the floor or to the wall, electrocuted her sometimes, just as a form of torture in case they decided they were too lazy to hurt her.

A scream of pain escaped her mouth as her body twitched in pain and agony began to overtake her body. Usually, someone was there to stop the runes on the chains from continuing hurting her, but this time no one was there for some reason and she began to slowly descend into darkness, strangled screams still escaping her raw throat.

Then, as if some unearthly creature had heard her pleas for the pain to stop, light flooded into her cell and four figures came into her view, none of them seeming like the men who usually came to stop the pain. She still could not stop the screams that forced their way up her throat, making her gag and tears escape her eyes, as they all fully entered her cell and male voices surrounded her. Unable to make out what they were saying, Lucy finally fell into the darkness and began her long tumble as her body quivered and twitched in pain still.

* * *

 **Hey everyone! This is my first chapter of a story in a few months and I apologise for this but now I have so much inspiration so expect a few more chapters of this. As well as my re-write of Sacred Heart FINALLY being released!**

 **I hope you liked it and I welcome any comments on how I can improve!**

 **R &R!**

 **~Jackie**


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL**

 **A/N:** Hey so I was just stumped for inspiration. Even my friends who are usually my muses can't help me so this chapter will probably take a few weeks to get out. I also apologise for the spotty update track but I swear that I will update these stories as soon as possible. :3

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Lucy woke with a start, whimpering slightly as she felt her aching muscles jolt and her stomach cramp in pain from not having much food. Her vibrant blonde hair dulled after hours of torture and her skin clinging to her bones from the past month or two of malnourishment. Lucy's chocolate brown eyes darted around her, finding herself in a forest and being carried by a tall blonde who seemed around twenty years old, she quickly snapped her eyes shut and pretended to sleep as she finally noticed the muscular arms wrapped under her knees and her back. He was carrying her bridal style as three people chatted aimlessly around the two blondes. Lucy could make out two male voices, one seeming quite refined and the other deep and sarcastic. There was also a female voice who also seemed quite refined as she argued with the two males, Lucy slowly opened her eyes to take a peek of the four people and, seeing them, she felt frightened.

The male carrying her had a lightning shaped scar over his eye and soundpods over his ears with a scowl to complete his overall sour appearance. Looking over at the other three, she could tell them all to be very powerful as she took in the brunette who, in her opinion, was very beautiful and princess-like and the long green hair of the male walking next to the brunette, portraying himself more like a prince than a common male. Lucy then looked over to the man who seemed out of place next to the two but still managed to fit in and laugh and joke with the two, making Lucy smile slightly as she saw the bonds between the three, making her wonder where the tall blonde fits in.

"Blondie! Blondie!" a small wooden creature said as it flew into her field of vision, startling her and making her flail her arms as she fell out of the tall blonde's arms and, due to her struggling, the blanket covering her slipped and exposed her naked body once again, making her feel vulnerable as their curious gazes landed on her frail form. Lucy groaned as she landed on the floor, rocks jabbing into her arms and legs and creating small cuts that stung like a bitch. The team of four stood over her as she attempted to make herself as small as possible while crawling away from the looming figures. The four stood as one over her, one large force that threatened to flatten or blind her with their light. The brunette stepped forward and held out her hand to Lucy. Lucy, expecting a blow to the cheek, flinched back and covered her face, her fourteen year old form becoming a quivering mess under the brunette's gaze. However, all she did was smile gently but kindly, her eyes crinkling slightly at the corners as she held her stance, not withdrawing her hand. Lucy gazed at her hand in scrutiny before cautiously offering her, much smaller, hand.

As the brunette pulled her to her feet, the two others sat on the side-lines smiling kindly at her while the tall blonde looked on with a slight frown on his face before removing his coat from his shoulders and quickly placing it on her shoulders and fastening the front as Lucy leaned on the brunette who had offered her shoulder to steady the petite blonde. The coat trailed behind the blonde and she almost felt bad for it as they started walking and the coat dragged along the floor, creating small rips in the fabric and lining the bottom of it in dirt.

"So, what's your name blondie?" The goofy man said with his tongue hanging out of his mouth with no shame and the creatures she had identified as wooden totems dancing around his head. Lucy opened her mouth to speak but found she couldn't as her throat finally announced it's state and only a garbled croak escaped her mouth. Lucy covered her mouth and coughed furiously, hoping to clear her throat in embarrassment as the totems stopped their dancing and stared in her direction.

"Here you go miss." The green haired man said, handing her a bottle of water and a sandwich. Lucy looked in awe at the sandwich bursting with meat and salad and the clear water in the water bottle that beckoned to her in the form of ripples. Lucy nodded in thanks at the teen, a large smile splitting her face as she took the water and sandwich from her hands and the group came to rest at the side of the road, out of the way of carriages and magic vehicles. Lucy gratefully sat down on the grass and took large gulps of the water she was offered, obviously acting un-ladylike before continuing on to ravenously eat her sandwich, having a second one when the brunette offered hers, an act of kindness that made the blonde smile even wider at the group, still cautious around the blonde who's brooding figure ate his food in silence, having six sandwiches to himself.

"Thank you.." Lucy said quietly, her voice husky and raw from not using it. The group didn't seem to hear her however other than the blonde who looked up from his food.

"Your welcome blondie." He said gruffly making the group turn to them and smile at the blonde, nodding in acknowledgement before continuing their conversation and joking around with each other once Lucy looked away from their gazes. Then, Lucy finally took a look around-a real look- and noticed that they were practically in the middle of no where and she had no clue as to where they were headed, concerned, Lucy quickly scanned through her memories of the past when she travelled with her mother and father and still couldn't pick out where they were. However, considering the fact that they are in a forest and trees tend to look the same, Lucy shouldn't be surprised of her discovery.

"Hey.. Umm.. If you don't mind me asking.. Where are we going?" Lucy said tentatively, and this time all four of them heard her almost whispered question even with the boisterous laughter. They all turned to look at her and then smiled, deep, emotional smiles that seemed to tell a story in themselves. Curiously, Lucy cocked her head and asked again, this time gaining a laugh from the man wearing a visor as he stuck his tongue out before being elegantly batted over the head with a fan by the brunette.

"Okay, first, what's your name?" She asked with a small, lady-like smile on her face.

"Lucy." The blonde said quickly, eager to know where they were headed.

"Okay, Lucy, our names are Freed, Bickslow, Laxus and I'm Evergreen. Have you ever heard of Fairy Tail?" Evergreen said, gesturing to each of them in turn before asking her the question. Lucy's eyes widened then finally took a good look at the four people in front of her, seeing the green mark on Evergreen's chest, the green mark on Freed's hand and the black mark on Bickslow's tongue, Lucy's face split with an ear to ear grin as she remembered all of the stories her mother had told her about the Fairy Tail guild. She used to read magazines, specifically 'Sorcerer Weekly' and would sometimes watch them on the lacrima vision.

"Well, yes.. It's a pretty big guild isn't it? My mother used to-" and then Lucy stopped herself, her memories warping into that night and then all Lucy could see was crimson. The crimson blood that seeped out of her mother's neck, her mother's white dress stained a deep red and the pink carpet now a pool of red blood. She remembered the scream her mother had made while trying to protect her.. all those years ago and the dagger.., the one that, with just a flick of someone's wrist, ended the precious life of her mother before she could do anything. Then, she saw blackness, filled with screams and torture and those cell walls... The chains that hung from the wall, the drip of blood from the ceiling and the many other children that were there, disappeared. One by one, they were killed trying to help her escape.

An ear-splitting scream filled the clearing and the four Fairy Tail members covered their ears as they stared in horror at the girl before them. She seemed so... utterly... broken. She was clasping her head in her hands as she seemed to be able to see something they couldn't and her eyes looked haunted.. dead, like she wasn't even there with them. Evergreen was the first to move forward and gently touched Lucy's shoulder, snapping her out of her thoughts where her feelings once more overwhelmed her and she burst into tears, her small form shaking with tears as she recalled her beloved mother's death.

"Don't cry Lucy!" "Lucy, Lucy!" The wooden totems piped up before swooping down on her form and resting against her, allowing her to hold one tight to her chest while the other's touched her in some way as if to tell her that they were there and she could cry if she needed to. Lucy smiled through her tears and heartache and held them tight to her chest, not noticing the others moving around her before she was hoisted back up into Laxus's arms, still clutching the small wooden totem while the rest returned to Bickslow and bounced around his head.

"Are we going to Fairy Tail now?" Lucy asked quietly, hiccupping slightly as an aftermath of her tears as the team continued to make the trek through the woods.

"Yeah. It's about time we all get home." Laxus replied gruffly, not looking at the petite blonde in his arms, keeping up his tough exterior as he carried Lucy bridal style, showing no sign of fatigue as he walked slightly ahead of the group, representing himself as their leader as he lead the group along the road. As Laxus walked, he rocked Lucy slightly, making her feel more and more relaxed before she was plunged into the darkness once more.

* * *

"Arriving in Magnolia shortly." A robotised voice said over a speaker as Lucy awoke, the darkness of the night all she was able to see outside the window and small raindrops sliding down the glass. She looked to her right and found three of the Fairy Tail members asleep, while Freed, who sat next to her with Evergreen leaning on his shoulder silently read a book. Lucy noticed she had been bandaged and guessed they must have stopped at a hospital to care for her injuries. Lucy then grew worried as she remembered the deep gashes on her back and the ugly scars that already littered her form.. They must have seen them, no doubt about it. Tears began to form in Lucy's eyes, blurring her vision before she was nudged by Freed who directed a worried gaze in her direction.

"Are you alright? What's wrong Lucy?" He asked politely but cautiously as a tear fell from Lucy's eye.

"Did you see my back?" Lucy asked quietly, careful not to wake up the three who slept peacefully around them. However, she already knew the answer to the pointless question she asked and she could already tell that they were just going to think of her as ugly considering she doesn't have the beautiful porcelain skin of Evergreen and she was not perfect like her, Evergreen probably has a beautiful mind as well but hers was soiled and dirtied by her past and possibly her future.

Freed nodded slowly but then spoke, "Yes, we bandaged it up for you after stopping at a magic shop in Hargeon to buy some ointment. We're almost at Magnolia now." Lucy bit her lip as she tried to suppress her tears and embarrassment began to take over her face. Noticing this, Freed continued, "You have nothing to be ashamed of, all of us have scars, be it on our physical skin or in our mind. Yours are just slightly more prominent but I think they're beautiful." Lucy looked up at Freed, sniffing as she managed to stop her tears from flowing.

"How are they beautiful Freed? They show that I was weak and they're ugly." Lucy said, looking away from him again, at the peaceful faces of his team around them.

"They show that you were brave and that you fought back. They show that you were too much to contain, that you were strong during everything you've been through and I think you deserve to be here now, free to do what you want and to heal. You could also grow even stronger, and we can all help you with that, if you would like." Lucy's eyes widened at what he was implying. "Wouldn't you like to join Fairy Tail and become stronger so you can fight for your family and learn about magic and true strength?" Lucy's eyes widened even further, if that was even possible, and she took in what Freed had asked and considered the possibilities and opportunities of Freed's proposal.

"Yes.." she whispered under her breath, tears of joy being brought to her eyes.

"Pardon?" Freed asked, not sure what she had said and silently fearing the answer would be no.

"Yes!" Lucy shouted loudly as the train began to slow and the three awoke to her shout, drowsy and in clumsy battle stances before butting heads with each other and falling back to their seats with a groan. Laxus turning slightly white as he did so. "Oh.. um.. sorry?" Lucy said while Freed smiled and grabbed their travelling bags from above while allowing some time for the three to orient themselves slightly.

"Thanks Freed, Laxus said as he threw his bag over his shoulder before noticing Lucy was still wearing his cloak.. with nothing on underneath. Groaning quietly he took Evergreen's bag from her hands while she shouted in protest and rummaged through it, finding a small green sundress and some sandals for Lucy to wear. "Here." he said while handing Evergreen back her bag and giving Lucy the sundress to put on with Evergreen's help while they exited the train.

The dress she put on was similar to Evergreen's tighter, shorter dress and Lucy smiled as she put on the dress, the neck dipping into her small cleavage and the dress hugging her torso as Evergreen helped her into the sandals she had packed in case the boys were up for a day at the beach while on the mission. Carrying Laxus' coat, Lucy exited the train with Evergreen's help and they walked over to the team who currently, sported scowls on their faces as most people made sure to avoid them as much as possible while they stood awkwardly waiting for the girls to get off the train. As Lucy and Evergreen walked up to the group, Lucy handed Laxus his coat which he threw over his shoulders after handing his bag to Freed to hold. Continuing their walk, Lucy limped as she tried to keep up with the group but found herself being left behind as they walked at their own pace.

Laxus being the first to notice, stopped and allowed Lucy to catch up while around them, passers by turned to watch the group making their way to the grand guild hall on top of the hill. Lucy, self conscious of the stares, reached her hand to feel her shoulders and realised the tips of some scars were showing, panicking slightly. Lucy looked to Laxus with a slightly desperate look with tears forming in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself as they walked, attempting to position her hair to hide the scars that were peeking out of Evergreen's dress.

Laxus, noticing the look she gave him, walked closer to her and opened his coat slightly for her where she gratefully hid, pressed into his side as they walked up the hill. As she did so, one of Bickslow's babies buried itself in her chest and she held it tight, nervous as to what the guild would think of her when they got her and whether or not they would abandon her and she'd be left alone again. Lucy peeked out from Laxus' coat and noticed the nearing doors before her. The huge guild created a giant shadow as they walked up to it and Lucy couldn't help but admire the guildhall as they opened the doors loudly. Noticing everyone in the hall turn to look at them, Lucy reared back and hid herself in Laxus' coat once more, attempting to not draw attention to herself as they wandered into the middle of the guildhall, most of the members identifying them and continuing their business while some watched with cautious eyes at the four members in the centre of the room.

"Welcome back, Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen! What can I get you?" said a purple haired woman as she walked up to the group, wearing a black apron and a long flowing blue dress that brushed against the floor as she approached. She was, like Evergreen, beautiful.

"Hey Sara. Do you know where Gramps is?" Laxus asked bluntly, not acknowledging her innocent question. Sara huffed at his blatant disregard of her before pointing to his office and returning to the bar where she caught a brunette teen trying to climb over.

"I'll take her up, you all wait down here." Laxus said before moving forward and forcing me to following as he grabbed my hand and led me up the stairs before entering the large doors that were in the centre of the upstairs balcony and wandering into a maze of paperwork. At the forefront of the towers of paper lay a small, old man on his desk with a quill in his hand and a stack of papers before him that he had seemed to have given up doing.

"Hey gramps I'm back and we found someone on our job." Laxus then pushed Lucy forward while the small old man sat upright on his desk and scanned over Lucy, his gaze lingering on her scars. Self consciously, she quickly adjusted her dress to cover the ones peeking out of the neckline of the dress.

"Where exactly did you find her, Laxus m'boy?" Gramps said while tearing his eyes away from Lucy's form and looking into the stormy blue eyes of his grandson. Laxus' eyes saddened and he looked down at Lucy with sadness and a hint of pity in his eyes.

"In a dark guild's basement." Laxus said, not meeting the eyes of his grandfather, instead looking down at the trembling form of the blonde that stood in front of him. "She's been held there for several years by the looks of the condition we found her in. We also found jars of her blood in a safe hidden in the master's office. We don't know what they were planning to use it for but we have an idea after finding these in his desk." Laxus explained, placing three golden keys on the desk, one browned and dirty. "Freed has identified them as very rare Celestial keys-Zodiac Keys and they are Capricorn, Cancer and-"

"Aquarius.." Lucy said quietly, cutting Laxus off and daintily picking the keys off the desk where they sat. "My mother's keys.." She said sadly, gently stroking the keys, almost like she was comforting them before looking up to the tiny man watching her with curiosity shining through his eyes. "My mother was a celestial mage. She.. was the owner of these keys before..." Lucy trailed off and tears shined in her eyes as she recalled her mother's death.

"Before..?" Makarov probed, needing more answers as to how the girl before him became such a fate.

"Before she was murdered. T-They came into my room one night a-and they s-slit her t-throat with the dagger my mother used t-to t-try and protect m-me. This happened around f-five years ago." Lucy said, tears blurring her vision as she stumbled through her explanation of how the dark guild managed to come across the rare keys. Laxus stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and she turned and wrapped her arms around Laxus, burying her face in his shirt as she sobbed, his shirt becoming wet as she cried for her mother and her heartache.

Laxus lead the crying girl over to the sofa buried under paper work and lifted it all off and moved it to the side of the room, Lucy still crying into his shirt during the process. After doing so, Laxus placed Lucy on the sofa and draped his coat around her shoulders as she snuggled into the pillows and sniffled as he moved back to the desk where his grandfather stood and continued his report on the events of his S-Class mission. Lucy watched the man before her with admiration as he recounted his battle with his team and the dark guild and his fight with the guild master. As Lucy watched Laxus, his stance and his voice called to her as she realised that what he was doing was trying to garner attention from his grandfather. He wanted to impress his grandfather more than anything and Lucy admired him for that.

"And then we came back home with Lucy since we didn't know where she belonged." Lucy frowned at that. Where did she belong? With her father? With Laxus? With Fairy Tail? Lucy couldn't tell and didn't know what to think. Since she was free, she should go back to her father to inform him of her being alive. She should visit her mother and pay her respects to her grave as her daughter and she should become the woman her mother always wanted her to be. But what her mother wanted her to be was within her grasp if she remained with Fairy Tail, she could finally be free. Free from the stuffy nobles she always used to be around, free from the duties she would be expected to take up and free from the heartache being in the same house her mother used to be in, live in, play in. They used to read bedtime stories in her bedroom.. she could never sleep in there again. They used to ride horseback in the fields behind the mansion, she couldn't look after her mother's horse that she used to love. They used to play hide and go seek in every room in the mansion, every place, they had been together and she loved it. She loved the attention and she loved her mother. But now, she could never do those things again.

Lucy smiled sadly as she remembered the times she spent with her mother and the laughter they had shared together and their love for each other was unconditional. Her father could never be enough to fill that hole in her heart. "Can't I stay here?" She asked tentatively, preparing for the rejection she was sure she would receive. Laxus and the Master turned to face her vulnerable form on the sofa and the Master smiled at her, nodding his head in agreement.

"Of course you can, dear child." He said with a large grin and Laxus just grunted in agreement, hiding his happiness for the girl in front of him. She was so young yet she had been through ten times as much as the average person. "And, I suppose these keys belong to you now." He said, handing the girl the three keys and watched her face light up with excitement and happiness. "You can stay in the guild infirmary while we get you a room at Fairy Hills and if you want you can work at the bar with Sara, I'm sure she could use a hand while you train and learn your magic." The master said and Lucy nodded her head repeatedly while holding the keys close to he chest as she grinned with happiness, tears still shining in her eyes.

She had finally found a place where she could belong.

 **A/N: I am so sorry for the delay on updates and this took about three days for me to write due to lack of inspiration so I hope you enjoy the chapter. I was planning to make it longer but I figured that there was a good place to stop for this chapter and Lucy can continue with her training and friends and moving into Fairy Hills in the next chapter. Hopefully that will make it quite long!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **R &R!**

 **~Jackie**


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